[TEXT: DEMOCRACY, PROSPERITY, HUMAN RIGHTS, EDUCATION, SECURITY A PRODUCTION OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE]
[TEXT: The Climate Crisis: Addressing 5 Key Areas for Change] Welcome to The Climate Crisis: Addressing Five Key Areas for Change.
[TEXT: Emissions] This lesson is Emissions.
[TEXT: Learning Objectives: Examine a strategy for transitioning to clean energy.] In this lesson, we’ll examine a strategy for transitioning to clean energy.
[TEXT: Review the role of hydrogen in greenhouse gas emissions.] We’ll look at the role of hydrogen in greenhouse gas emissions.
[TEXT: Review new processes and technologies to reduce and remove carbon emissions from the air.] And we will review the new processes and technologies
to reduce and remove carbon emissions from the air.
[TEXT: Rob Hanson, Co-founder and CEO of Monolith] This lesson was written by Rob Hanson,
the co-founder and chief executive officer of Monolith, a U.S.-based startup.
[TEXT: Leads the development of next-generation technology] At Monolith, he leads the development of next-generation technology
for producing low-cost, low-emission hydrogen and carbon black,
an important raw material used in the manufacture of rubber and plastic.
[TEXT: Served as global director of product management at AREVA Solar] Prior to Monolith, Hanson served as the global director of product management for AREVA Solar,
the solar division of the world’s largest nuclear company.
[TEXT: Master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University] He has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.
As Hanson explains, today, roughly 80% of global energy comes from burning fossil fuels.
When you burn a fossil fuel, you release energy,
but also greenhouse gasses,
which are accumulating in the atmosphere and leading to the warming of the planet.
[TEXT: The Energy Transition] The Energy Transition
We need to make a transition from the status quo
to a future where we still produce large amounts of energy,
but without the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
This is called the energy transition.
[TEXT: Strategy for the Transition] Strategy for the Transition
Hanson explains that there are several ways to produce energy
without emitting greenhouse gases.
Solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and nuclear are all options for producing electricity
without increasing carbon in the air.
Unfortunately, even with the broad deployment of these clean technologies,
and advanced batteries for light transportation,
we will only be able to “decarbonize” —
meaning to reduce and remove carbon —
from around half of the global economy.
[TEXT: Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector] That’s because large portions of the global economy are both essential
[TEXT: Source: U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] and impossible to decarbonize with clean electricity and batteries alone.
For example, fertilizers in agriculture,
heavy transportation like trucks and ships,
and industrial processes like steel and cement production
are not readily decarbonized solely with
renewable electricity and batteries.
Enter hydrogen, the simplest of all the elements.
An energy-dense compound, hydrogen is the key building block
for many more complex chemicals,
such as ammonia and synthetic fuels,
and contains the reducing power needed for steelmaking.
By adding hydrogen to certain production processes that generate greenhouse gases —
along with wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, nuclear and batteries —
a real road map emerges for deeply decarbonizing our economy.
But to achieve that goal, the process must produce what we call clean hydrogen.
Clean hydrogen is produced in a manner that generates no greenhouse gas emissions,
uses 100% renewable or clean energy sources in its production,
and meets market demand.
Almost all hydrogen produced today is not clean.
Over the past decade, Hanson writes, Monolith has been developing
commercial-scale processes to produce clean hydrogen.
In the near term, industry must meet the world’s energy demands
without harmful CO2 emissions,
particularly where electrification is difficult, according to Hanson.
In the long term, producing carbon-negative hydrogen
will remove CO2 from the atmosphere, at a gigatons scale.
This reduction of CO2 from the atmosphere is called drawdown.
[TEXT: Meeting the climate challenge requires new companies and new technology] We need many more companies and new technologies
to decarbonize the various sectors of our economy.
Through ingenuity, perseverance, and the right supporting infrastructure,
we can make the energy transition
and live in a high energy, low emissions future.
[TEXT: For more on this course and to access related resources, visit our website.] For more on this course and to access related resources, visit our website.
[TEXT: DEMOCRACY, PROSPERITY, HUMAN RIGHTS, EDUCATION, SECURITY A PRODUCTION OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE]